The violent slam of the door awakens Luka from her rest. How long was she out? The last thing she remembers is breathing something fowl.
Lamp overhead, locker-sized holes in all the walls, she instantly recognizes her surroundings as one of the backrooms, and the person who just slammed the door without a care for the slumbering bird is a wide-eyed Jones.
"What were you thinking?" He shouts from the doorway, scurrying up to Luka on her bench. "I said you were supposed to job, and here you go and almost take out one of our best fighters, do you know what that means?"
Bleary eyed, confused, her head absolutely pounding, Luka stirs awake.
"N-No?" she groans. The dim light in the room feels as blinding as the sun, she can hardly keep her eyes open, yet alone speak for herself. "I did my part, I did my job, I lost. Did you want something else?"
The Cranidos is furious. His chest puffs up, and his red eyes seek straight through her.
"Jobbing means you're supposed to lose, you're supposed to make our actual talent look tough. No one wants one of our best talents to be swept by a complete nobody, a newbie like you! Now I've got my boss shouting at me and the crowd wondering what's next! I'm a talent manager for jobbers, I'm not an actual talent manager, and look what you did!" Jones points to where the crowd's roars are coming from. "We weren't expecting one of our talents to get seriously roughed and now, now everyone thinks Aqua's weak!"
What does he mean? She fought this Aqua lady pretty good, poison be damned, she had to use some kind of sleep powder against her to win. Sleep Seed? Probably, she has never been in an actual fight like this for a long, long time. She is used to fighting scrawny bug types to keep her food safe, not actual fighters.
"So what?" Luka rubs her bleary eyes. "Maybe's she not actually tough, how many people did she have to fight before me? I don't know how this works."
"Six, and that hardly matters. You were supposed to lose completely to her, but you've fought enough to ruin what we had going for her. She was supposed to face off against the champ near the end, and she lost to another fool before she could reach him all because you didn't know what it meant to job!" The Cranidos extends a stubby, accusatory claw at her. "Your pay's docked because of this. Three Hundred's all you're getting!"
"Three Hundred?" Luka spits. "That's barely enough to-"
"Maybe you should have actually learned a thing or two about what you're signing up. We're done talking, good day to you, Miss!"
Jones leaves through the door, slamming it shut and drowning the room in silence. Three hundred? She came here for a thousand, not a pitiful three. She nearly took out one of their best fighters in the ring as a nobody, she should be getting paid more instead of less! This is nonsense! She wants to scream, but she does not have the strength to, she can still feel the sleep powder clogging up her nostrils. She coughs, wheezes, and by time she has the strength to shout Jones is long gone, working on other new prospects.
"Oh, don't worry about him. He's business first, he should be happy, really.
That voice. She turns around to see the Sneasel-thing sitting on a stool, rubbing off her makeup with a damp towel she keeps ringing out. Luka can see her own reflection in the mirror, and Aqua staring right back at her.
"You're new, so I'm not gonna judge you on that. You did pretty darn good, they loved your performance out there! This is still a competition, expected results be damned, and just because you caused me to give in early doesn't mean you didn't do a good job in the first place."
Aquamarine, The Beast, apparently some kind of top talent. Though by the way she speaks so candidly, she could be mistaken for any other "jobber" like Luka is supposed to be, sounding as casual as everyone else.. Though in her case, she at least keeps up a partial mask of professionalism despite being behind closed doors.
"But I messed things up." Luka laments. "Look, sorry if I take things so seriously, I-"
"Don't apologize, it makes you sound pathetic." Aqua shushes her. "These manager types seem to forget there's still an actual fight to be had. They count on people succeeding, and others failing. Sorry he slashed your pay like that, but you shouldn't have put up such a fight like you did. I for one, appreciate it - the crowd did too - they on the other hand don't."
Aqua drags two claws down her face, leaving behind magenta streaks on her visage. She steps away from the stool, turning around to Aqua.
"What are you anyways? Never seen a bird like you."
"Never seen a pokemon like you, either." Luka snorts.
"Yeah, I get that alot. I'm a Sneasler, apparently not native to the Mist Continent. You can call me Aqua, or Aquamarine if you wanna use my show name. I prefer the former but I really don't care what you call me. And you, what are you?"
"A Hawlucha. J-Just call me Luka." The darkly-feathered Hawlucha musters up a smile. "I-uh, don't like my real name, so can you just keep it to Luka, please?"
"Luka it is." Aqua extends a clawed hand.
Previously, not minutes or an hour ago, Aqua was her sworn nemesis, but now she was acting though they were the best of pals. Sure they were ready to spill eachother's blood, but they had reviver seeds, and no matter how bad the battle may have gone, surely Aqua is not out here to settle a grudge with a pokemon she has only now met. She would not be offering her a hand if they had any serious beef between them.
Going against her Instincts, Luka reaches out, shaking the taller pokemon's hand. The Sneasler smiles at her, shaking firmly, and kindly.
"Welcome to the club. You put enough of a good show back there Jones would be stupid as to not reinvite you for a second gig. Sorry about the slashed pay, he can be a bit too fast on the draw on that."
Noted. Luka shakes her head, kicking her claws off the bench and taking a deep breath. So much has happened in a short time, Jones, all these new-fangled words being thrown around, and now a supposed enemy is her friend. She just wants her money, and to go home back before Lene wonders where she's gone.
"I did mess up. I deserve it." Luka tries to laugh, nothing comes out. "Just uh, I'm gonna get my money and go, okay? Don't worry about my pay."
"Nono, your pay's just as important as mine. Forget him, how much were you supposed to get?"
Luka bites down on her tongue. This sounds like charity, she does not deserve charity, she deserves what she is supposed to get. But Lene, her momma, she needs it more than she does. And no matter how much her personal pride may get in the way, the need to see the old Mandibuzz smile outweighs any shame in her heart.
Luka swallows her pride, speaking up.
"A thousand."
She goes to one of these holes, these cupboards in the walls, pulling out a pack which she opens. She pulls out seven shining coins, then throws them her way. Luka catches them. Five hundred. The coins feel warm in her hand, relieving almost.
"I-I, uh…"
Aqua chuckles.
"You don't need to say a thing. Come on, let's get out of here." She slings the pack over her shoulder. "Got a place we can talk?"
"M-my house?" Luka stutters out.
"Well, public place."
She has not been around as much as she likes, though there is one place, not the usual sort of restaurant, which many an explorer is a guest to. Vanilluxe's Bar, coolest drinks and soft meals there is, perfect for causing an impromptu brain freeze but also the best place there is for a quick snack.
"Vanilluxe?"
Aqua chuckles, opening the door, and stepping outwards. The Sneasler looks over her shoulder, smiling.
"See you there, we have lots to talk about!"
Luka gulps.
Time and time again, Luka has been here before, buying icy treats from its ice type owner to chow down in the heat of Pokemon Paradise's muggy seasons. The five coins in hand, Luka approaches the tiny window in this stone pillbox, sliding a coin to its owner.
"Pecha, the usual." Luka speaks.
And Vanilluxe obliges. Someone in the back hands them a fiburous cone, which they shower in icy particles and pour out a bright pecha syrup over. Luka takes the icy treat in her hand, then turns around. There Aqua is, sitting alone on a metal stool, already staring at her. She has Pecha too.
She pulls out the adjacent chair, the horrific sound of metal against a wooden patio garners a few weird looks, but everyone eventually looks away. Luka sits herself down, then takes a bite of her frozen treat, drowning out her nervous sensations with the pinkish sweetness of Pecha Berry.
"Didn't know you liked Pecha too." Aqua chuckles. "Did he pay you yet?"
Luka shakes her head.
"He uh, he told me it would be sent through Pelipper, we'll get it soon." Luka glances at her, examining the treat in her hand, and the Sneasler-whatever behind it. "What about you, did he pay you?"
"Same thing, I get paid a day or two later, don't worry about that. I just may have thought he'd have japed you outta it." She takes a bite from her cone, crunching into it with jagged, pearly teeth. "Gonna be honest, that Aerial Ace you did really gave me a run for my money. It was the last thing I expected."
"Really?" Luka stammers. "I-I, uh, I thought the feathers were a dead giveaway."
"Should've been, I didn't expect you to have the stones to hit me midair." Aqua chuckles. "You got me good. You're a good fighter, if a bit untrained. Who taught you all of that?"
"I taught myself."
Aqua spits out a clump of pink ice. She fills the air with howling laughter, few of the fellows wanting to chow down look her way as if she has gone mad, all of whom she silences with a glare.
"Taught yourself?" The Sneasler turns to her. "Pretty damn good for a pokemon who taught herself.. Few do me in like you tried to do, type advantages included."
"I know we've all got a show to put on, but between you and me, if this was an actual life or death fight you might actually have a chance to put me under!"
Her guffaws continue to fill the air, Luka awkwardly adds a few.
"Really?"
"Really." Aqua adds, regaining her senses. "No one is a natural, but between you and me and you, I think you have potential. Jones would never do what I'm about to say without coaxing from the higher ups, so I'm gonna beat him to the punch: I want you on my team, in my gang. You're a heel, right?"
Heels, faces. The definitions rush back to Luka. She is a heel, whether she wants to be or not, because her supposed talent manager has made her so. A bad guy, and if she is gonna be a bad guy on the stage, singing up with the beast is far from the worst idea.
"Yeah, I am. I really don't know what that means."
"It just means you take no nonsense from anyone and you're a baddie." Aqua reaches across the table, nudging her. "It is all a show, good guys versus bad guys, the real fights determining who is actually better at the end of the day. I'm a bad guy, so are you, and we baddies gotta stick together. So what says you, wanna form an alliance?"
What is he supposed to say, no? If Aqua is going to vouch for her going forwards, then maybe, maybe she will have a chance of coming back again another day to make even more at these matches. She sees Aqua extend a hand across the table, smiling. And whether she wants to be a baddie in this narrative or not, she cannot possibly say no to a face like Aqua's.
Luka takes her hand. Aqua shakes it violently, grinning from ear to ear.
"Good. good." Aqua says. "I'll make sure you get far and aren't forgotten bout him, alright? You come back tomorrow whether he says or not, I'll be waiting."
A sudden, doubtful thought slithers into Luka's mind.
"Why do you want me?"
"Because I see gumption, like an exploration partner, or whatever you wanna call those. Your black feathers, your purple hues, disposition and ability, you have a legit chance of making a difference in the league and I would rather have you on my side rather than not." Aqua speaks, taking a brief, deep breath. "You just feel like you would fit in right next to me, okay. Does that make sense to you?"
Nothing so far has made sense to Luka, but she is willing to believe Aqua more than Jones or anyone in the Colosseum. She takes another bite of her icy treat.
"Yeah, yeah. I can kinda get it."
Not really. Is it worth arguing about? Absolutely not. Aqua presents a future where she is continuously paid, and any future where she can help Lene shake off the debt her father has loaded them in is a future worth living. She has already shaken her hand, there is no backing down.
"I gotta go, I gotta take care of my momma, but I'll agree to whatever if it means I can get paid more." Luka sighs. "Just don't, just don't try to pull the wool over my eyes for real, okay?"
Aqua shrugs.
"I don't have much reason to lie to you. This is a show at the end of the day, a business. A business can't survive with people like you and me, understand?"
Plenty understood. Luka stands up from her seat, her half-eaten treat in hand. She offers her new partner a nod before stepping from the deck, licking the frozen thing, salivating its sweetness.
And aqua is left behind to peck away at her own cone, left to her own devices, to devise a future when next her new companion shows her face in this fighting guild.
With a faint click the door to her home creaks open. The roaring fireplace is cold, the desk is still cluttered with all the pamphlets. The sweet aroma of fried berries fills the air despite the hearth having long gone cold. Lene is sound asleep, snoring loudly through the door to her bedroom beneath the stairwell.
Carefully, Luka makes her way up the stairs, the floorboards creaking like rattata, though fail to rouse the feathery behemoth from her rest. Up the stairs she goes till she enters her room. Adorned with posters from around, equipment, and trinkets from the Sand Continent, her room is a monument to adventures she should have embarked on but never has.
Luka throws herself onto her bed, the mattress, soothing her weary back. It is comfortable, as comfortable as an elderly bird like Rene can afford. Luka shuts her eyes, pulling the blankets up to her face, trying her best to throw her consciousness to the waves of sleep.
Alot happened. She was supposed to job, supposed to fail, and she got herself in hot water for seemingly no reason. She has wanted to be a battle and that dream may come soon enough, she just could not fathom there would be so much in the way of it. Pay is nice, that is why she wants to be one, everything else surrounding is…
Weird.
Is she not supposed to defend herself? It is hardly a circuit if for whatever reason people are meant to win and lose. Obviously they have to account for hammers thrown into their plans in the form of battles going one way or the other.
Thinking about it makes her head hurt. What does not make her head hurt is closing her eyes. She shuts them tight. The noises of the streets below, the rumble of pokemon paradise, all of it blurs into nothing.
And she enjoys a rather bewildered slumber.
